European Escorted Tours Terms and Conditions - Conditions Of Contract

HOLIDAY BOOKING CONDITIONS

Key points:
You enter into a booking with us when we issue your Booking Confirmation. If you then cancel, there will be cancellation charges. Initially this may only be a deposit, but can go up to 100%.

You can make changes to your booking in certain circumstances. We make a charge for this. We can change and cancel your booking. We’ll pay you compensation in certain circumstances.

We are responsible to you for providing your holiday but there are legal limits.

The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (“The Regulations”) require us to provide security for the monies that you pay for the package holidays booked from this programme and for your repatriation in the event of our insolvency. We provide this security by way of a bond held by ABTA.

In the unlikely event of our insolvency, ABTA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information visit www.abta.com

If you book arrangements other than a package holiday from this programme, the financial protection referred to above does not apply.

Please read the full terms below for more information and for other important rights and obligations.

1. The Camping and Caravanning Club and what we do

We are The Camping and Caravanning Club Limited (“The Club”) of Greenfields House, Westwood Way, Coventry CV4 8JH.
Our business is to make arrangements with suppliers (airlines, ferry operators, motorhome companies, campsites etc.) under which they will provide the services which together comprise your holiday.

2. Your holiday booking

A booking will exist as soon as we issue your Booking Confirmation. This booking is made on the terms of these booking conditions. As soon as your Booking Confirmation is received it is your responsibility to check the details and you may make any amendments to your booking within 48 hours of receiving your Booking Confirmation without incurring any amendment fee charges from us. Regrettably we cannot accept any responsibility for such errors or omissions or amendments after this time. When you make a booking you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of your party the terms of these booking conditions. The Camping and Caravanning Club will not pass information on to any person not responsible for part of your travel arrangements. The Camping and Caravanning Club respects your right to privacy and takes full responsibility for ensuring that proper security measures are in place to protect the information you supply.

When making your booking for your package holiday we will arrange for you to enter into a contract with us or other supplier(s) (e.g. airlines, ferry companies, campsites, motorhome hire companies, etc.) named on your Booking Confirmation(s) for whom we act as agent. As the agent we accept no responsibility for the acts or omissions of the supplier(s) or for the services provided by them other than as set out in these Booking Conditions. Our Terms & Conditions will apply to your booking and we advise you to read these carefully as they do contain important information about your booking.

3. Special requests

We will pass on to the supplier concerned (e.g. airlines, motorhome company, campsites, hotels) any special requests which you have notified to us and which are detailed in your Booking Confirmation invoice but we cannot guarantee that your requests will be met and we accept no liability to you in respect thereof. A few campsites guarantee special requests, subject to an extra charge. Any such charges for special requests are subject to the cancellation terms as set out in 8 below.

4. Paying for your holiday

When you make a booking you must pay a non-refundable deposit of £250 or £500 plus holiday cover premiums which are payable in full at the time of your booking. Some companies may charge for the full amount of the ferry/Eurotunnel journey, flights or motorhome hire at the time of booking and this may not be refundable. This may also apply to some campsites' early booking offers. The balance of the price of your travel arrangements must be paid not less than 12 weeks before your departure date. If the deposit and/or balance is not paid in time, we shall cancel your travel arrangements. If the balance is not paid in time we shall retain your deposit. In addition, a £20 fee will apply to any booking made by anyone who is not a Camping and Caravanning Club member.

We also accept advance bookings for 2020 Escorted Tours for which a £125 refundable deposit is applicable.

In the case of late bookings, where the departure date is less than 12 weeks away when we issue the Booking Confirmation, full payment must be made at the time of booking. If any surcharges become applicable (see condition 6) we will send you a revised Booking Confirmation, to which the foregoing payment terms will apply.

We will not issue a reminder. If we have not received the outstanding balance by the due date as specified above you will be deemed to have cancelled the holiday and will be liable to us for cancellation charges as described in condition 8. When paying by cheque please allow 7 clear banking days for the cheque to clear. Cheques should be made payable to “The Camping and Caravanning Club”. Mastercard, Visa and Maestro cards are accepted (sorry we are unable to accept Electron or American Express). Cheques are not accepted for non-refundable payments which are required by some transport carriers and some other products.

5. What does your holiday price include?

Your Booking Confirmation will detail all the goods and services which we will agree to procure or arrange on your behalf. During your holiday you will inevitably incur additional expenditure in respect of other items.

Examples include:

Campsite fees for any campsites booked through us which are not included in the tour itinerary

Electricity, water and drainage at the pitch, where available and required (unless stated on the Booking Confirmation that these items are included in the holiday price)

Any other special requests which you have notified to us and which our suppliers are able to make available (unless stated on the Booking Confirmation that these items are included in the holiday price);

Holiday cover (unless we have agreed to arrange this on your behalf in which case it will be listed on the Booking Confirmation as included in the holiday price).

6. Price changes

Changes in transportation costs, including the cost of fuel; dues, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports; taxes applying to campsite stays (including VAT and tourist tax and any other taxes) and exchange rates mean that the price of your travel arrangements may change after you have booked. However there will be no change within 20 days of your departure.

We will absorb and you will not be charged for any increase equivalent to 2% of the price of your travel arrangements, which excludes insurance premiums and any administration charges. You will be charged for the amount over and above that. If this means paying more than 8% of the price of your travel arrangements, you will have the option of accepting a change to another holiday if we are able to offer one (if this is of equivalent or higher quality you will not have to pay more but if it is of lower quality you will be refunded the difference in price), or cancelling and receiving a full refund of all monies paid, except for any administration charges. Should you decide to cancel:

1) You must do so within 14 days from the date on your final Booking Confirmation.

2) We will provide a refund of insurance premiums paid to us if you can show that you are unable to transfer or reuse your policy. Should the price of your holiday go down due to changes mentioned above, by more than 2% of your holiday cost, then any refund due will be paid to you. However, please note that travel arrangements are not always purchased in local currency and some apparent changes have no impact on the price of your travel due to contractual and other protection in place.

7. Holiday cover

If you are not taking our personal travel insurance cover, please note that providing us with proof of alternative cover is a condition of booking. If you would like more information regarding our insurance you should telephone us on 024 7642 2024, particularly if you feel the holiday cover may not meet your needs.

We reserve the right to cancel your booking if you do not have full insurance cover and any cancellation charges incurred as a result would be your liability.

Where you have asked us to arrange personal travel and emergency medical insurance on your behalf these policies are underwritten by Collinson Insurance Services, Sussex House, Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 1DN, under the policy details set out in the Foreign Travel Insurance section on our website. All holiday cover premiums include the Insurance Premium Tax of 20% for personal elements and 12% for motor elements . Your holiday cover policy, or a link to view it on-line, will be sent to you together with your Booking Confirmation at the time of booking. You may cancel your holiday cover within 14 days of receipt of your Booking Confirmation. We will refund your premium in full provided no claims have been made (exclusions apply).

8. If you cancel your holiday

You may cancel your holiday booking at any time. Cancellation may be in respect of all or merely one or more members of the party. We will only effect the cancellation upon written or verbal notice by you. We recommend that you make the cancellation by email or telephone. If you cancel by telephone, please ask for the name of the person you speak to. If you decide to cancel in writing, please obtain proof of delivery.

To compensate us for the risk that we might not be able to resell all or any part of the cancelled holiday we shall be entitled to impose a charge as shown below:

Please note, a ‘no show’ will result in loss of booking and 100% cancellation fees

†Day 1 of itinerary if no ferry or Eurotunnel are booked through us.

*The ‘holiday price’ for these purposes does not include holiday cover premiums; these will be refunded on a pro rata basis (exclusions apply). In the case of amended bookings, the above conditions will apply to the earliest date of either the original booking or the amended booking.

Cancellation charges for ferry or Eurotunnel bookings vary from company to company - details are available on request. Please note that we may apply our standard administration fee of £15 as well as any ferry company charges. If the reason for the cancellation falls within the terms of your holiday cover policy you may be able to recover the cancellation charge from the holiday cover company.

9. If you change your booking

You may ask us to change one or more of the details of your holiday booking at any time. If we receive your request at least 12 weeks prior to your departure date we will attempt to accommodate your request, subject to availability. A minimum administration fee of £15 will be charged for any alteration which requires any of our suppliers to be issued with new instructions. In the event that your transport or rental or accommodation charges change as a result of your alteration, both the £15 administration fee and the changed transportation/accommodation costs will be reflected in your revised Booking Confirmation. If we receive your request less than 12 weeks prior to your departure date we will also try to accommodate your request. In addition to the fee referred to above, where some component of the price of the holiday is dependent upon the number or characteristics of the persons in the party, any change to those numbers or characteristics will result in the price being recharged on the basis of the new party. In the event that we are unable to accommodate your revised requirements, we reserve the right to treat it as a cancellation and a new booking to which cancellation charges described in condition 8 apply.

Some suppliers’ special fares and deals are non-refundable as soon as they are booked.

You can transfer your booking to another person, who satisfies all the conditions that apply to this booking, by giving us notice in writing as soon as possible and no later than 7 days before departure. Both you and the new traveller are responsible for paying all costs we incur in making the transfer.

10. If we change your booking

We will notify you as soon as reasonably possible in the unlikely event that we have to make major changes to your holiday after the balance due date. A major change is one that involves changing your airport or port of departure/arrival on either outward or return journey, changing the time of your departure or return by more than 12 hours, changing your holiday campsite or substituting an alternative stopover which is more than 20km from your original choice or is of a lower official standard. In any of these circumstances you will have the option of:

i accepting the revised arrangement as notified to you;
ii purchasing another available holiday from us;
iii cancelling your holiday.

If you decide to purchase another holiday which we offer to you or to cancel outright you must notify us of your decision within 14 days of the date printed on your Booking Confirmation which notifies the change.

If you choose to cancel outright we will refund all monies which you have paid to us and also (where appropriate under the Regulations – a copy of the Regulations is available from The Camping and Caravanning Club), pay you compensation.

Compensation payments do not apply where changes have been forced on us by reason of war or threat of war, riots, civil strife, terrorist act, industrial disputes, nuclear and natural disasters, adverse weather conditions, endemic health risks, unavoidable technical problems to transport or the closure or congestion of ports or similar events beyond our control. Where we are obliged to make major changes to your holiday after it has begun we shall use our best endeavours to provide you with alternative arrangements and, where we are required to do so under the Regulations, compensate you for the difference between the services originally agreed and the services actually provided. Where your holiday destination is outside the UK and where it is impossible for us to make alternative arrangements of reasonable standard we will arrange (if you wish) for you and your party to return as soon as possible to the UK. For all holidays involving ferry travel or flights you are advised to check your homeward arrangements with the operator 24 hours before the scheduled departure of your homeward journey.

11. If we cancel your booking

We will have to cancel your holiday if you fail to pay the outstanding balance by the due date (see condition 4) and also in the circumstances stipulated in condition 10. We also reserve the right where necessary to cancel your holiday at any time prior to 12 weeks before your departure date. In this last case we will try to offer you an alternative holiday where this is practicable. We will only cancel your holiday within 12 weeks of your departure date for unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances beyond our control such as those listed in condition 10.

If we cancel your holiday for reasons such as those listed in condition 10 our only liability to you will be to refund promptly all monies previously paid by you to us in respect of the holiday.

If we cancel for reasons for which we are to blame we will, where required under the Regulations, pay you compensation.

Where we are obliged to make major changes to your holiday after it has begun we shall use our best endeavours to provide you with alternative arrangements and, where we are required to do so under the Regulations, compensate you for the difference between the services originally agreed and the services actually provided.

If your holiday is cancelled you can either have a refund of all monies paid or accept an alternative holiday of comparable standard from us if we offer one (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value).

In the event a refund is paid to you, we will provide a full refund of your holiday cover premiums if you paid them to us and can show that you are unable to transfer or reuse your policy.

12. Ferries, Eurotunnel and campsites: Important information

Before your departure we will give you precise details of the times at which you should arrive at the chosen port for your outward and homeward journeys (all ferry departure and arrival times are quoted in local time). Should you fail to do so and miss your sailing we shall have no liability to you. Please remember that the ferry operator is expecting you to travel in the vehicle which you have notified to us prior to the departure date. Should you fail to do so and the ferry operator refuses to allow you to sail or imposes any additional charge we shall have no liability to you. If the dimensions of your vehicle have not been correctly declared, the ferry operator may charge you additional fees at port, or refuse carriage.

Any special ferry company discounts published by the Club’s European Travel Service in this brochure or in any other subsequent Club publication will not apply to any shareholder prices in the ferry company concerned, nor can such discounts be applied to any package holiday price quoted.

The Club has made every effort to ensure that campsite descriptions and all other information in this brochure provided is accurate and to ensure that information held on file is up-to-date and correct. However, you should be aware that circumstances may change and in particular that campsite managers reserve the right to withdraw or change site facilities at any time. Accordingly, we reserve the right to change any of the services and facilities or other information described or given in this brochure before you enter into a binding contract with us. We will notify you of these changes on your Booking Confirmation. If campsite managers notify us of important changes after you have booked but before your departure date every effort will be made to ensure that you are informed of them before you travel.

You are subject to the conditions of carriage of the ferry companies and to the rules of each campsite which are available upon request from our office. Besides their contract with us, you will have the benefits (and burdens) of the contracts between themselves and the ferry companies and the insurers.

A site reservation is valid from 15.00 on the chosen day of arrival until midday on the day of departure unless stated otherwise in our brochure description or other documentation which we issue to you. If you are for any reason unable to reach the site on the booked arrival day you must inform either the Club’s European Travel Service or the site directly to avoid automatic cancellation.

Some sites close between 12.00 and 15.00. Most sites operate a curfew after 22.00. You will not be allowed onto the camping area between or after these times. Any early departure (before 07.00) should be notified to the site management in good time. We will not be liable for any problems which you may encounter through failure to adhere to these times and formalities.

Any star ratings afforded to a campsite are a matter between the campsite and its own national or regional regulatory body. Every effort is made to ensure that an objective indication as to the individual appeal of each campsite is given in our brochures and on our website. However, you should remember that a campsite which may appeal to an individual during the low season may change in character with the advent of the high season when all amenities may be under the strain of a large influx of people. It is also often the case that some facilities are only available in high season, thereby also affecting the nature and style of the campsite. All these factors should be considered when making your choice of site.

Please remember that any ferry or Eurotunnel tickets which we obtain for you are valid only for the sailings or Eurotunnel journeys specifically indicated on the tickets. If you wish to prolong or curtail your holiday it will be your responsibility to arrange an alternative homeward sailing and/or Eurotunnel journey via the Club’s European Travel Service or the supplier concerned.

The Club will not be responsible for refreshments/meals and overnight accommodation as a result of a delay experienced at the outward or homeward ports of departure. We strongly recommend that the appropriate European Travel Service Holiday cover is taken out to cover such eventualities.

13. Flights, Passport, Visa, Immigration and Medical Requirements

Before your departure we will give you precise details of the times at which you should arrive at the chosen airport for your outward and homeward journeys (all flight departure and arrival times are quoted in local time). Should you miss your flight we shall have no liability to you.

Your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements.
We highly recommend you consult with your doctor before travel to check for any recommended vaccinations and/or medication for the country or countries you are travelling to.

14. Our liability to you

You must inform us without undue delay of any failure to perform or improper performance of the travel services included in this package. If any of the travel services included in your package are not performed in accordance with the contract, or are improperly performed, by us or the travel service suppliers, and this has affected the enjoyment of your travel arrangements, you may be entitled to an appropriate price reduction or compensation or both. We will not be liable where any failure to perform or improper performance of the travel services is due to you or another member of your party; or a third party unconnected with the provision of the travel services in the package and is unforeseeable or unavoidable; or unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, which means a situation beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.
Our liability, except in cases involving death, injury or illness, shall be limited to a maximum of three times the cost of your travel arrangements. Our liability will also be limited in accordance with and/or in an identical manner to

a) The contractual terms of the companies that provide the travel services that make up your package. These terms are incorporated into these booking conditions; and

b) Any relevant international convention, for example the Montreal Convention in respect of travel by air, the Athens Convention in respect of travel by sea, the Berne Convention in respect of travel by rail and the Paris Convention in respect of the provision of accommodation, which limit the amount of and conditions under which compensation can be claimed for death, injury, delay to passengers and loss, damage and delay to luggage. We are to be regarded as having all benefit of any limitation of the extent of or the conditions under which compensation is to be paid under these or any conventions.

You can ask for copies of the travel service contractual terms, or the international conventions from The Camping and Caravanning Club. However, reimbursement in such cases will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday price from us. Your right to a refund and/or compensation from us is set out in these booking conditions. If any payments to you are due from us, any payment made to you by the service provider will be deducted.
If it is impossible to ensure your return as scheduled due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, we will bear the cost of necessary accommodation, if possible of equivalent category, for a maximum of three nights. The limit doesn’t apply to persons with reduced mobility and any person accompanying them, pregnant women and unaccompanied minors, or persons in need of specific medical assistance, provided that you notified us of these needs at least 48 hours before the start of your holiday.

15. Protecting your money

We provide full financial protection for our package holidays that include flights by way of our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence number 6012, issued by the Civil Aviation Authority, Gatwick Airport South, West Sussex, RH6 0YR, UK, telephone 0333 103 6350, email claims@caa.co.uk. When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive package from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.
We provide full financial protection for our package holidays that do not include flights by way of a bond held by ABTA – The Travel Association, 30 Park Street, London. SE1 9EQ. For more information please visit www.abta.com

16. ABTA

We are a member of ABTA, membership number V3987. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. We can also offer you ABTA’s scheme for the resolution of disputes which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. If we can’t resolve your complaint, go to www.abta.com to use ABTA’s simple procedure. Further information on the Code and ABTA’s assistance in resolving disputes can be found on www.abta.com. You can also access the European Commission Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/. This ODR platform is a means of notifying us of your complaint; it will not determine how your complaint should be resolved.

17. Customer complaints and problems

If you have a complaint about any component of your holiday you should report that complaint immediately to the supplier of the service concerned. If you are unable to resolve the problem you should firstly ask the Tour Escorts for assistance in resolving it. If this is not possible, please contact us on 024 7642 2024, or email holiday.operations@myccc.co.uk, and we will use our best endeavours to help you. If a medical or other emergency arises during the holiday please follow the directions or recommendations set out in your holiday cover policy. If the policy does not apply to the situation which has arisen you may contact us on the telephone number above.

If your complaint is not resolved locally, please follow this up within 28 days of your return home by emailing holiday.operations@myccc.co.uk, giving your booking reference and all other relevant information. If you fail to follow the requirement to report your complaint immediately to the supplier we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify it and this may affect your rights under these booking conditions.

If you’re in difficulty whilst on holiday and ask us to help we will provide appropriate assistance, in particular by providing information on health services, local authorities and consular assistance, and helping you to find alternative arrangements. You must pay any costs we incur, if the difficulty is your fault.

19. Excursions

Excursions or other tours that you may choose to book or pay for whilst you are on holiday are not part of your package holiday provided by us. For any excursion or other tour that you book whilst on holiday, your contract will be with the operator of the excursion or tour and not with us. We are not responsible for the provision of the excursion or tour or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator.

20. Prices

The holiday price as quoted at the time of booking, at which time your deposit will be taken, will be confirmed as definite, subject to surcharges as detailed in condition 6.

Prices shown on our website and in our brochure, which make up the inclusive cost quoted on our final invoice, are based on special contract rates. Verbal and website quotations will be regarded as provisional until confirmed in writing on your confirmation invoice. In the unlikely event of an administrative error resulting in incorrect prices being displayed in the brochure or on the website, we reserve the right to correct the price. Offers are not combinable unless expressly stated and may be withdrawn at any time. We have no control or jurisdiction over prices that may be changed at the destination for the same or similar services and can accept no responsibility or liability if these differ from those quoted therein.

All prices are indicated for guidance only. The holiday price that we confirm to you in writing at the time of booking is the price including increases or reductions that you will pay.

21. Law and jurisdiction

This booking is governed by English Law, and the jurisdiction of the English Courts. You may however choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you live there and wish to do so.

22. Personal data

The protection of personal privacy is an important concern to The Camping and Caravanning Club. Any personal data collected will be treated in accordance with current data protection legislation. We will use your personal data to process and manage all elements of your booking. In order to meet our booking obligations to you, we will share relevant personal data with Club partners including Tour Escorts, accommodation providers, airlines, ferry, motorhome and tour providers, campsites and insurers.